Buzkashi is the sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to drag a goat or calf carcass toward a goal. It is the national sport of Afghanistan, although it was banned under the Taliban regime. Traditionally, games could last for several days, but in its more regulated tournament version it has a limited match time.

I miss you and i am so sorry....been busy..I'm tired of the internet communication honeyI am fine and alright.. and despite the fact i don't have access to the internet in kunar but your thought filled my heart.I think because of my hard work here ..the Military still needed me badlyVet at Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit and also a Team leader on conflict resolution...you understand honey ? i am sorry.

The U.S President Barack Obama has assured that no American soldier would leave Afghanistan until the end of 2015, believing Afghanistan is still a dangerous country.

In a joint press conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday at White House, Obama stressed the need for continued support of Afghan forces, but warned that the insurgents would continue their attacks on civilians.

"President Ghani has requested some flexibility on our draw down timelines. I've consulted with General Campbell in Afghanistan and my national security team and I've decided we will maintain our current posture of 9800 troops through the end of this year," Obama told the reporters after holding a meeting with Ghani on Tuesday afternoon.

Praising the capability of Afghan forces, Obama stated that the Afghan forces were better equipped than the Taliban and Haqqani network.

He also noted that since the U.S had been engaged in drawdown, the casualties of American soldiers had also decreased.

"Casualties have come down precipitously as we've engaged in the draw down," Obama said. "It's been over 90 days since two Americans were killed in Afghanistan. That has occurred precisely because we are not in a combat role."

Praising the U.S sacrifices for Afghanistan, Ghani welcomed his American counterpart's decision of keeping their soldiers in the country.

"The flexibility that has been provided for 2015 will be used to accelerate reforms to ensure that the Afghan security forces are much better led, equipped, trained and are focused on their fundamental mission," Ghani said. "I am pleased to say that the departure of 120,000 international troops has not brought about the security gap or the collapse that was often anticipated."

Ghani expressed that the new U.S mission of training, advising and assisting afghan forces was "a vital part of their collective interest and collective endeavors."

The US-Afghan relations, which were strained during former President Hamid Karzai's presidency, are now said to have been improved following the first visit of Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah to the United States since the formation of National Unity Government (NUG).

Earlier in a meeting with U.S State Secretary John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ashton Carter at Camp David, the Afghan leaders were promised funding of all 352,000 Afghan forces, and another aid of $800 million to unity government's reform agenda.

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani speaks at the Pentagon, Monday, March 23, 2015. In a ceremony at the Pentagon, Afghanistan's president thanked U.S troops and taxpayers for their sacrifices in nearly 14 years of war. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama welcomes Afghanistan's new president to the Oval Office on Tuesday with a fraught question staring them in the face: Will the U.S slow its departure from Afghanistan - and for how long?

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani represents Obama's last, best hope to make good on his promise to end America's longest war by the time he leaves office, keeping just a thousand or so troops at the embassy to coordinate security. Ghani predecessor Hamid Karzai's relationship with the White House was increasingly dysfunctional, and if the dealings with Ghani don't turn out better, Obama risks leaving Afghanistan still vulnerable to the kinds of violent extremist groups that operated with impunity until 14 years ago, when the U.S attacked after 9/11.

Ghani comes to the White House aiming to prove he's a reliable partner worthy of U.S support, despite his fractured government and a litany of problems still rampant in Afghanistan's military - illiteracy, drug abuse and desertions, to name a few.

Most critically, Ghani is asking the president to keep more U.S troops in his country for longer, as Afghan forces brace for a tough spring fighting season and contend with Islamic State fighters looking to recruit on their soil.

"We do not now ask what the United States can do for us," Ghani said, invoking John F. Kennedy as he opened his U.S visit on Monday. "We want to say what Afghanistan will do for itself and for the world."

In the run-up to their meeting, the prospect of the U.S slowing its exit has become almost a foregone conclusion, with officials predicting the U.S will likely leave many of the 9,800 American troops there now long into next year. The original plan was to cut to 5,500 by the end of 2015.

Also at stake: the future of U.S bases in Jalalabad and in Kandahar, where the Taliban had their capital until 2001. U.S military leaders have seemed receptive to Ghani's request that those bases stay open as long as possible.

Obama and Ghani were to discuss the pace of withdrawal on Tuesday during meetings and a working lunch at the White House - the centerpiece of Ghani's highly anticipated visit to Washington. In the days before the visit, White House officials suggested that Obama was likely to announce his troop decision when he and Ghani take questions from reporters in the East Room Tuesday afternoon.

Ghani, who lived in the U.S for more than a decade, has been a welcome change for the Obama administration. Frustration with his predecessor reached a boiling point when Karzai refused to sign the security agreements needed for the U.S to leave troops in Afghanistan. Ghani signed them within days of taking office, and has sought to differentiate himself by showing appreciation for U.S investment in his military - more than $60 billion so far.

After hotly contested election results, Ghani and chief rival Abdullah Abdullah agreed to share power, with Abdullah assuming the new role of chief executive. They made the trip to the U.S together in a show of unity.

Yet political tensions have prevented the leaders from even putting together a full cabinet, six months into their term.

Imbuing the visit with added anxiety is a new, home-grown affiliate of the Islamic State group, whose flagship branch in Iraq and Syria is another menace to Obama's legacy on foreign policy. It's not fully clear how strong or widespread the offshoot's presence is in Afghanistan.

“Keep buggering on” (Churchill): a great way to handle a crisis. The learning point: when all around you appears to be in a state of collapse, just keep going. You may find that seemingly overwhelming events have a way of working themselves out. As Churchill famously put it, “Keep buggering on” (KBO). This colourful turn of phrase, which was simply slang to him, somehow became embedded in the English vernacular.It sums up the British spirit in a way

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Saturday acknowledged for the first time that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group was gaining influence in Afghanistan.

Speaking during a press briefing ahead of his visit to United States, President Ghani said “Daesh’s characteristic is that it is man-eating. It swallows its competitors.”

“Here, it is not physical presence of people from Syria or Iraq. It is the network effect,” President Ghani added.

The remarks by President Ghani comes as first Vice President Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum warned regarding serious threat of the terrorist group to Afghanistan, saying that the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan poses a serious threat to the country

This comes President Ghani said earlier last month that the global terrorism including al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) stills threatens Afghanistan.

The Secretary General of the United Natoins, Ban Ki-moon said earlier this week that the former Taliban commanders in Afghanistan have pledged allegiance to the Islamic States and the number of their supporters is on the rise.

Concerns regarding the expansion of ISIS activities in Afghanistan further escalated after after unknown masked men kidnapped 30 passengers in southern Zabul province last month with reports suggesting that the militants belong to ISIS terrorist group.

At least two commanders of the ISIS terrorist group have been killed by the Afghan security forces so far which includes Mulah Abdul Rauf and his successor Hafiz Wahid.

Mullah Abdul Rawouf was the first Islamic State commander and recruiter who was killed along with five of his companions in Helmand province last month.

Following the killing of Mullah Abdul Rawouf, his nephew Hafiz Wahidi took the command for ISIS who was also killed along with nine of his companions in Afghan National Security Forces operations in Helmand province.